PF - Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor | News

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl spoke at the FIDMA Conference on Fairness in Digital Markets and Artificial Intelligence

Wed, 20 May 2026 10:57:00 +0200

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl spoke on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the FIDMA Online Conference on Fairness in Digital Markets and Artificial Intelligence titled “Synthetic Imaginaries of Digital Fairness.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Weingerl spoke about the concept of the consumer in digital markets and the aptness of the traditional understanding of the consumer both for active individuals online (social media, online marketplaces, online games...) and for passive individuals who do not consume in the traditional sense.

The online conference was organized by the European Researcher Network on Fairness in Digital Markets and Artificial Intelligence (FIDMA), supported by the Institute for Global Political Studies, Malmö University, Nova School of Law, and the European Law Institute Croatian Hub.

Guest Lecture by Dr Damjan Kukovec, Judge at the General Court of the EU

Mon, 11 May 2026 12:38:00 +0200

On Thursday, May 7, 2026, Dr Damjan Kukovec, Judge at the General Court of the EU, joined us for the course “Legal System and Institutions of the EU.” He delivered a comprehensive and specifically interesting lecture to the students on the rule of law in the EU, judicial protection, and the EU’s external action.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Judge Dr Kukovec for his exceptional lecture.

Guest lecture by Czech judge Dr. Ivana Hrdličková, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (2015 – 2023)

Fri, 08 May 2026 11:12:00 +0200

The Faculty of Law welcomed Czech judge Dr. Ivana Hrdličková, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon based in The Hague (2015 – 2023). Dr. Hrdličková delivered a lecture on International Criminal Law in the age of AI, drawing on her own experiences at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in handling mega-data and related evidentiary challenges long before large-scale language models were made widely available.

We would like to thank Judge Dr. Ivana Hrdličkova for an extremely interesting lecture.

Guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Saša Zagorc from the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200

On Wednesday, April 22 2026, Prof. Dr. Saša Zagorc, professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, delivered a guest lecture as part of the course Legal System and Institutions of the EU. With an excellent lecture, Dr. Zagorc introduced the students to the intertwining of the national constitutional order, the ECHR, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

We would like to thank Dr. Zagorc for delivering the lecture.

Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. Verica Trstenjak

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200

On Thursday, 16 April 2026, Prof. Dr. Verica Trstenjak delivered a lecture within the course EU Legal System and Institutions. Prof. Dr. Trstenjak is a former Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union and former Judge at the General Court of the European Union, a member of the Administrative Board of Review (ABOR) at the European Central Bank, and Vice-President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. Dr. Trstenjak enriched her highly engaging lecture, entitled Judicial Protection in the EU: Between Maribor and Luxembourg, with numerous interesting insights into the functioning of the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as valuable advice for students. She also brought along the robe she wore during her tenure as Advocate General.

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Trstenjak for her excellent lecture and look forward to her future visits to our faculty.

Associate Professor Dr. Petra Weingerl delivered a lecture at the PEPP project in Zagreb

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100

On January 27 2026, as part of the PEPP project in Zagreb, Associate Professor Dr. Petra Weingerl delivered a lecture entitled “On the assessment of discrimination in private law relationships.” The lecture attracted a lot of attention among the participants, which was followed by a lively discussion.

The Programme in European Private Law for Postgraduates (PEPP) is held every year at four different locations of selected partner universities, within which doctoral students from various EU countries meet and deepen their knowledge in the field of European private law. This year, the program is being held in Münster, Zagreb, Cambridge, and Valencia.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor is represented in the program this year by Assistant Matej Makoter Rožmarin and Assistant Nikola Jovanović.

Prof. Dr. Matjaž Tratnik at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100

On January 26 2026 Prof. Dr. Matjaž Tratnik delivered at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba on EU citizenship and Dutch nationality law. From 1990 to 1996, Dr. Tratnik was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba in Oranjestad.

Guest lecture by H.E. Beti Hohler, Judge at the International Criminal Court

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

On Friday, December 19 2025, we hosted Judge H.E. Beti Hohler (International Criminal Court). The students had the privilege of hearing first-hand about the anatomy of proceedings before the International Criminal Court and the rich experiences of our guest.

We would like to thank H.E. Beti Hohler for an excellent and inspiring lecture.

Visit by Prof. Dr. Veronika Fikfak from University College London (UCL)

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100

On Wednesday, December 17 2025, we hosted Prof. Dr. Veronika Fikfak from University College London (UCL). Prof. Dr. Veronika Fikfak, professor of human rights and international law and director of the UCL Institute for Human Rights, delivered a lecture entitled: The Future of the European Court of Human Rights. The topic is extremely relevant in light of the announced reform of the ECHR.

We thank Prof. Dr. Fikfak for an excellent and highly interesting lecture!

Guest lecture by Nataša Pintar Gosenc, M.A.

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

As part of the course Judicial Protection System in the EU, the Faculty will host Mag. Nataša Pintar Gosenca, head of the international department of the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Slovenia, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Mag. Nataša Pintar Gosenca will deliver a lecture at 11 a.m. entitled: Representation of the Republic of Slovenia before the CJEU and the ECHR.

Mag. Nataša Pintar Gosenca is an alumna of the Faculty of Law at the University of Maribor.

The Jean Monnet Seminar on Regulating Short-Term Rentals: The Interplay Between Housing Challenges and Market Freedoms

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:02:00 +0200

Jean Monnet Seminar Summary
Regulating Short-Term Rentals: The Interplay Between Housing Challenges and Market Freedoms
Date: Monday, 29 September 2025 • Format: Online (MS Teams)

Overview. The seminar examined how EU law, national policy, and local practice intersect in regulating short-term rentals (STR). Speakers from academia, EU institutions, and city government discussed legal constraints (Services Directive, Article 16 Charter), policy design, and on-the-ground implementation. Two cross-cutting themes dominated: proportionality (targeted, evidence-based restrictions) and data (registration, interoperability, and platform cooperation as prerequisites for enforceable, proportionate rules).

Opening (Dr Janja Hojnik, Faculty of Law, University of Maribor). Framed the core trade-offs—public interest vs. entrepreneurship, tourism vs. housing affordability, right to a home vs. free movement—set the seminar’s questions and objectives.

Slovenian framework (Dubravka Kalin, Director General for Tourism, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport). Presented the newly adopted Hospitality Act as the outcome of three decades of debate. The Act adds conditions and simplifications, introduces time limits and a risk-based classification of municipalities, and will lean more on digitalisation of STR. Faculty of Economics studies (Airbnb/Vrbo) were cited to show rapid STR growth outpacing safeguards for other interests.

Fundamental freedoms (Tim Horvat, Lawyer at the Court of Justice of the EU). Emphasised that housing rules are business regulations subject to CJEU scrutiny under Article 16 of the Charter. Reviewed key case law (including Alemo-Herron and AEON Nepremičnine) and stressed the centrality of the proportionality test.

EU law & policy landscape (Živa Šuta, Faculty of Law, University of Maribor). Asked whether, to what extent, and how the EU should engage on housing. Highlighted the rising role of EU law and the CJEU, again underscoring proportionality as the analytic lens.

Prof. Hojnik and Students at the International Summer School of European Law at the Faculty of Law in Rijeka

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Prof. Dr. Janja Hojnik lectured at the International Summer School of European Law at the Faculty of Law in Rijeka, which took place in Ika near Opatija in the second week of July. Two students from the Faculty of Law at the University of Maribor, Eva Ledinek and Lisa Elizabeth Strouken, also attended the summer school.

The students sincerely thank the organizer for all the kindness and dedicated knowledge and recommend the participation to other students next year. Prof. Hojnik lectured at the international summer school for the first time this year, which was an honor for them.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl lectured at the ERA - Academy of European Law (ERA) Summer School

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl delivered a presentation at the Summer School on Consumer Law on 24 June 2025, organised by the ERA – Academy of European Law based in Trier, Germany. In her lecture, Dr. Weingerl presented the concept of the consumer as it has developed through the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, especially in the light of digitalisation.

Guest Lecture by Dr. Katarina Vatovec

Fri, 23 May 2025 00:00:00 +0200

On Friday, May 23 2025, as part of the course Legal System and Institutions of the EU, we hosted Associate Professor Dr. Katarina Vatovec, a lecturer at the New University and legal advisor at the Constitutional Court. Dr. Vatovec presented EU restrictive sanctions to the students in a very engaging way, which is an extremely current topic in both European and international contexts.

We sincerely thank Dr. Vatovec for giving the lecture.

Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. Verica Trstenjak

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

On Thursday, April 10 2025, Prof. Dr. Verica Trstenjak, former Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the EU and former Judge at the General Court of the EU, and recently appointed Vice President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, delivered a guest lecture within the course Legal System and Institutions of the EU.

In an exceptionally engaging lecture, titled Legal Protection in the EU: Between Maribor and Luxembourg Prof. Dr. Trstenjak shared first hand insights into the functioning of the CJEU. She presented students with the robe she wore as Advocate General and introduced them to several other “iconic” EU items (e.g., the liqueur Cassis de Dijon).

We thank Prof. Dr. Trstenjak for an excellent lecture and look forward to her future visits to our faculty.

From October 1, 2024, a new Jean Monnet Chair at the Faculty of Law, University of Maribor

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:42:00 +0100

On October 1, 2024, a new Jean Monnet Chair project began at the Faculty of Law, University of Maribor, which was awarded to Full Professor Janja Hojnik by the European Commission for a period of three years.

The title of the project is "Everything as a Service (XaaS): Regulating the Digital and Sustainable Transformation of the Service Economy in the EU." Today, customers no longer just buy products; they increasingly pay only for (temporary) access to them. Thanks to major platforms such as Uber for ride-sharing, Netflix for streaming video content, and Google for cloud services, companies are recognizing the advantages of adopting "on-demand" or "as-a-service" business models. The topic includes economic, technological, and ecological aspects but remains under-researched in legal studies and practice.

The project will promote research and educational activities in this field, as well as international cooperation between the Faculty of Law in Maribor and the Faculties of Law in Leuven and Copenhagen. Both Slovenian and foreign students at the Faculty of Law in Maribor will be involved in the content.

For the academic year 2024/25, three master's thesis topics are announced in the field of the project:

Extended producer responsibility under EU law (i.e., the obligation to care for the product after its use - an environmental topic in light of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia case at the EU Court of Justice)
Short-term rental of real estate in light of the free movement of services in the EU
The legal nature of cloud services under EU law: Between economic service and protection of sovereignty and personal data.

Professor Janja Hojnik and assistant Živa Šuta visited the Faculty of Law in Leuven, Belgium

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

On Monday, November 18 2024, Professor Janja Hojnik participated in the committee for the defense of a doctoral dissertation at one of the most prestigious and oldest law faculties in Europe - KU Leuven (1425) in Belgium.

As part of the visit, a doctoral seminar was also organized, at which seven doctoral candidates, including our assistant Živa Šuta, presented the starting points of their doctoral research and answered questions and comments from professors and other researchers. The professorial committee included: professors Bert Keirsbilck and Evelyne Therryn from the Faculty of Law in Leuven, professor Vanessa Mak from the Faculty of Law in Leiden, and our professor Janja Hojnik.

At the invitation of Professor Keirsbilck, they also visited the KU Leuven campus in Kortrijk. The visit further strengthened ties between the Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor and the Faculty of Law of Leuven.

Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. Maja Brkan, Judge and Advocate General at the General Court of the EU

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0200

As part of the EU law courses, we held an interesting event on Wednesday, 23 October 2024. During the guest lecture by Judge and Advocate General at the General Court of the EU, Prof. Dr. Maja Brkan, we conducted a joint online lecture session, in which both 5th-year students of the Faculty of Law, University of Maribor, with Prof. Dr. Janja Hojnik, and 2nd-year students of the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, with Prof. Dr. Ana Vlahek, participated, along with members of the Slovenian Association for EU Law. Dr. Brkan lectured on the transfer of jurisdiction for preliminary rulings to the General Court of the EU.

We look forward to more joint lectures for students of both faculties with the help of modern technology.

Successful participation of doctoral students of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana in the PEPP program – Programme in European Private Law for Postgraduates 2023/24

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200

This academic year, doctoral students Živa Šuta and Natalija Kunstek participated in the PEPP program – Programme in European Private Law for Postgraduates, which brings together doctoral students from partner universities (University of Münster, Hamburg (Bucerius), Max Planck Institute Hamburg, Cambridge, Leuven, Valencia, Genoa, Zagreb, Katowice and Maribor) in four intensive study and research weeks. The program is organized under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Bettina Heiderhoff from the University of Münster, and the coordinator at the Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl.

This academic year, the PEPP project took place in Münster, Maribor, Cambridge and Valencia. Živa Šuta gave a presentation on the free movement of goods and services in the internal market in Cambridge, and Natalija Kunstek presented her doctoral research on the legal nature of tax authorities' explanations in Valencia. During the four weeks, the doctoral students attended lectures and workshops at partner universities and competed in a moot court on the jurisdiction of courts in disputes regarding tenancy relationships under the Brussels I bis Regulation and unfair commercial practices under the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Consumer Representative Actions Directive.

Doctoral students Živa Šuta and Natalija Kunstek would like to thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petra Weingerl and the Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor for their support in participating in the program.

Master's program in European Legal Studies at Faculty of Law University of Maribor

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 17:17:00 +0200

Welcome to study at the Master's program in European Legal Studies at Faculty of Law University of Maribor!